Scholaris is a national shared repository service that provides hosted infrastructure and support for Canadian institutional repositories. The service is managed by Scholars Portal and developed by the Canadian Association of Research Libraries (CARL), the Ontario Council of University Libraries (OCUL), University of Toronto Libraries (UTL), regional consortia, expert groups and members of the Canadian institutional repository community.
Institutional repositories and repository managers play a vital role in the academic research environment by advancing scholarship and fostering open access to research. As a national shared repository service, Scholaris facilitates knowledge sharing, fosters collaboration, and increases the discoverability and impact of Canadian research excellence.
Scholaris empowers repository teams, library staff, and institutions by providing scalable infrastructure, technical expertise and community support. Scholaris uses open-source repository software (DSpace) and is hosted and managed by Scholars Portal. Participating institutions enjoy the benefits of both local and national service models: an institutionally branded repository instance with centrally managed hosting and upgrades, shared resources, and access to a vibrant network of repository managers, technical experts, and practitioners across the country.
For more information about the service, including information about developing partners, pricing, FAQs, and participating institutions, beginning with pilot schools and first 2 Early Adopter cohorts, visit the Scholaris website.
Past Events
Strengthening Institutional Repositories through the Scholaris Network of Experts – OA Week 2024 Webinar from CARL and Scholars Portal (Monday, October 21, 2024, 1:00-2:00pm ET) – Details | Recording
Scholaris Information Session (Wednesday, September 11, 2024, 12:00-1:00pm ET) – Details
Early Adopter Program
Scholaris recently launched an Early Adopter program to develop the service. The program will involve multiple cohort stages beginning in 2024, and is open to consortial member institutions and eligible non-member research organizations across Canada. While the first 2 cohorts are now full, we are already planning ahead for future cohorts. If your institution is interested in participating, please complete the expression of interest form. If you would like to discuss participation before formally submitting this form, please reach out to the Scholaris team by emailing .
Expert groups
The following three Expert Groups were formed to help shape the national infrastructure service and to lend their expertise and support to fundamental segments of the project:
1 – Scholaris Metadata and Discovery Expert Group (S-MDEG)
S-MDEG will identify common use cases and practical strategies for metadata migration, creation, updating, and support, collaborating with the service development team to prioritize metadata requirements, advise on policy, propose scalable solutions, and monitor emerging technologies for potential integration into the Scholaris service. For further details, please refer to the Terms of Reference.
2- Scholaris Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETDs) Expert Group (S-ETEG)
To ensure a smooth and successful transition, the S-ETEG will develop strategies for consistent data across repositories, guide institutions towards national and international standards, and offer expertise in migrating ETDs seamlessly. Additionally, they’ll propose optimizations for Scholaris and guide institutions in adapting their workflows. For further details, please refer to the Terms of Reference.
3- Scholaris Digital Preservation Expert Group (S-DPEG)
The role of S-DPEG is to provide guidance, recommendations, and advice on digital preservation planning requirements and pathways for the Scholaris service development team. S-DPEG will be instrumental in charting a path to shared, common, and otherwise operationalized digital preservation practices that support the long-term accessibility and integrity of digital materials managed within the Scholaris service. For further details, please refer to the Terms of Reference.
The three Expert Groups operate under the aegis of CARL’s Shared Repositories Infrastructure Advisory Committee (SRIAC) and engage in close collaboration with the Visiting Program Officer (VPO) – Metadata Strategies and Scholaris. The VPO liaises with the Scholars Portal team and SRIAC to coordinate and assess priorities based on input from experts.
